Full Idea
A physicist once told me that of course a gold atom was a piece of gold, and a physical chemist has assured me that the smallest possible piece of gold would have to be composed of sixteen or seventeen atoms.
Gist of Idea
Is one atom a piece of gold, or is a sizable group of atoms required?
Source
Peter van Inwagen (Material Beings [1990], 01)
Book Reference
Inwagen,Peter van: 'Material Beings' [Cornell 1995], p.17
A Reaction
The issue is at what point all the properties that we normally begin to associate with gold begin to appear. One water molecule can hardly have a degree of viscosity or liquidity.